


Tattoo You

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-20 08:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2421611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“There better not be the silhouette of a naked woman on your shoulder.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tattoo You

**Author's Note:**

> This was an expansion on a comment fic I wrote [where Erin suggested she and Rossi get infinity symbol tattoos](http://mcgarrygirl78.livejournal.com/832181.html?thread=9009077#t9009077). It would've been written days ago but Rossi changed his idea at the last minute…so typical.

He opened the door, opened his arms, and she walked right into them.

“You're growing up too fast.” He said smiling. “How old are you now?”

“I turned 26 last week. My friends took me to Vegas for a very informative strip club tour.”

“Now that sounds like a birthday I would've enjoyed.”

“You have no idea. Let me just say there is definitely sex in the champagne room.”

“Bad girl; you better not let your mother hear that.”

They both laughed as he walked her through the living room, dining room, and into the den.

“Hi.” Erin put on a smile.

“How are you?” she extended her hand. “I'm Cameron.”

“I'm Erin. You look a little young to be doing this.”

“Well I just turned 26 but I've been designing tattoos for people since I was 15. I’ve been a registered artist with the states of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia for the past four years. I'm certified and you are in the most capable hands for miles around.”

“No flirting.” Dave said.

“I was not…”

“I know flirting when I see it David; she wasn’t flirting.”

“See?”

“I stand corrected. What can I get you to drink?”

“Chamomile tea would be great.”

“You got it kiddo.”

Dave went into the kitchen and Cameron sat on the couch beside Erin. She pulled a sketch pad from her messenger bag and opened it.

“I drew a few designs, figuring you would want something more feminine than Dave. Infinity symbols are pretty much the same. Size, color, and design are what matters to each person. They all want theirs to be representative of them.”

“So how do you and David know each other?” Erin asked as she looked at the drawings.

They were quite good. She wasn’t sure if she was going to ask the question but her curiosity got the best of her. Cameron was a young, pretty, svelte redhead with her eyebrow and lip pierced. She had plenty of tattoos, easy to see in her grey tank top and faded jeans.

“Dave used to date my mom back in the day. I was 12 when they started seeing each other. It didn’t work out but Dave stuck around. I know he wasn’t into being a dad so it was cool that he was there for me. My own bailed when I was five.”

“He's a good guy.” Erin replied.

“He's definitely that. Don’t tell him I told you, because he doesn’t known that I know, but he paid my way through art school. This is all I've ever wanted to do.”

“Wow.”

Erin didn’t quite know what to say but she didn’t get a chance because Dave came back with the tea.

“Thank you.” Cameron took the teacup. “I was just showing Erin some of the designs I made the other night after we talked.”

“I really like this one.” Erin pointed to one that was simple and elegant. “I’d want it a little bigger so the initials can fit in the loopholes.”

“Turn the page and I think you'll find what you're looking for.”

Erin did, and she smiled when she saw it.

“This is it; I want this one.”

“Great…have you decided where?”

“I'm torn between my shoulder blade, hip, and the small of my back.”

“Are you a newbie?” Cameron asked.

“What does that mean?” Erin countered.

“Is this your first tattoo?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“None of those places are especially fleshy so there's the newbie pain potential. It really just depends on what your threshold is. I think they’re a piece of cake. But I have a friend who cries every time she gets one.”

“How many does she have?” Dave asked.

“I did her 24th last night.”

“Oh wow.” Erin’s eyes widened. “Well I've endured three natural childbirths.”

“That’s a good sign. Have you ever had a root canal?”

“No.” Erin shook her head. “But I did have wisdom teeth removed.”

“You should probably be fine. I personally think hip tattoos are sexy. They’re very intimate and you never run the risk of anyone seeing it that you don’t want to. Plus, from a logical standpoint, they're easy to maintain on your own while they heal.”

“How undressed would I have to get for that?” Erin asked.

“You don’t. You can roll down your lounge pants, pull up your shirt, and it’s on. If you're wearing panties I suggest removing them. It’ll be easier.”

“I'm not.” She replied.

Dave almost said how sexy that was but kept his mouth shut.

“Damn, that’s hot.” Cameron said instead.

Erin colored a bit and Dave just laughed.

“I need something for her to lie on Dave, and it has to be sturdy.”

“I have a bench press bench.” He said. “It’s longer than most.”

“You bench press?” she asked.

“I have a bench press bench.” He repeated.

“OK.” Cameron laughed. “Bring that and get me about three damp paper towels please.”

“No problem.”

She turned to Erin as he walked out of the room.

“Do you have any last minute questions or concerns, Erin?”

“It’s pretty much now or never. I think I’ll be OK. But I do want the tattoo to be dark blue, not black. That’s OK, right?”

“That won't be a problem. This tattoo is for you, so I do exactly what you want. I was thinking small cursive letters for the initials. What do you think?”

“It sounds lovely.”

Cameron dug another sketch pad from her bag. It was filled with sheets of tracing paper. She tore one off and started tracing the symbols. When that was done, she did the letters and showed it to Erin.

“This is exactly how it will look. I basically put this tracing paper on your body and the design transfers from paper to skin.”

“How?” Erin asked.

“It might sound a little weird but its deodorant. I've always preferred Right Guard gel stick.”

“Um…”

“Are you nervous?”

“I'm petrified but don’t tell David. This was my idea. I want it but I'm also entering uncharted territory, which I don’t do very often. There are a lot of nerves.”

“I felt the same way when I got my first one. But they always say you never forget your first time. Erin, this is gonna kick ass, I promise.”

“I’ll set up the bench in the living room.” Dave said as he walked down the hall. “There's more space to create in there.”

“Thanks Dave.” Cameron stood up, grabbing her bag and her tea. “C'mon, let’s make something beautiful.”

***

It was the sound of the needles that almost drove Erin out of her mind. Dave held her hand the whole time, making regular conversation with both she and Cameron as the younger woman worked. There were a few laughs but for the most part Erin’s nerves never quite went away. She couldn’t call it painful, it wasn’t, but it was uncomfortable.

She didn’t know if that was because she was lying on a weight press bench or not. Her leg kept jumping when Cameron hit certain spots and that made her laugh. But in less than 20 minutes she was done and holding up a mirror for Erin to see. She couldn’t believe that she had something permanently etched in ink on her skin.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“I'm glad you like it.” Cameron smiled. She pulled a small jar of Vaseline from her bag, put some on her fingers and then on Erin’s hip. “You don’t mind if I take a picture do you? I like to keep a book with all of my artwork in it.”

“Of course not.” Erin stood, holding up her shirt. Cameron got in close and snapped one on her tiny digital camera. “How do I take care of it?” she asked.

“Well all artists have different answers for that. I’ve been doing this a lot of years and good ol fashion Vaseline never goes wrong. It helps the itching, which will be damn near unbearable in the next few days when it starts to scab. Put it on once in the morning and then in the evening…you should be fine. Don’t be afraid to put your shirt down; it won't stain. Also, you might want to lie on your left side for the first week to ten days while it’s tender. After that you should be fine.”

“That doesn’t sound like much.”

“It’s easy as pie.” Cameron smiled. “Call me when you're ready for your next one.”

“Oh no,” Erin laughed. “I'm out of the ink business as of now. This was all I wanted.”

“Its beautiful, baby.” Dave said.

“Thank you.”

“Get over here, big guy.” Cameron said. “You're next.”

Dave sat down on the bench and took off his Polo shirt. Erin excused herself, said she needed a smoke after that experience. Cameron had heard that before.

“Does she know?” she asked when Erin was out of earshot.

“She will in a few minutes.”

“Aww man, I hate couple surprises.” She was replacing the needles in her pen. “Did I ever tell you about the guy who got the name ‘Sasha’ tattooed on him and when his wife came to pick him up we found out her name was Mallory?”

“No.” Dave laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Oh yeah. There were some flying books and supplies on that day.”

“Erin will love it; I'm pretty sure.”

“Pretty sure?” Cameron raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure.”

“You want it black, right?”

“Yeah.” Dave nodded.

“What font should I use? Do you want me to grab the book?”

“I want something old school, small type, and the parchment I picked out before.”

“That should be a snap. What made you guys do this?”

“She won't marry me.” he replied.

“What?”

“She was married for almost 25 years and I've been married three times. We like the arrangement we have now but she wanted to do something to show our commitment to each other. I was floored…I never expected to hear tattoos from Erin.”

“They’re so everyday now; not that that’s a bad thing.” Cameron said. “People use their ink to expose pieces of their heart and soul. I love my job. I get to interpret thoughts and feelings all day long. How does this look?” she showed him the tracing paper.

“That’s it.”

Grabbing the Exacto knife and the deodorant, Cameron got to work.

***

“Sorry I took so long,” Erin said, coming back into the living room. “I called Nora while I was out there and she couldn’t believe it so I told her I would take a picture to show her. I tried while we were on the phone but it didn’t go through. She said pictures or it didn’t happen.”

“Who’s Nora?” Cameron asked. She was crowding Dave so Erin couldn’t see what she was working on.

“She’s my daughter…she's your age actually.”

“Well if she's local tell her I do parties. If seven people get tats, hers is free.”

“She lives in New York.” Dave replied.

“Hey, have cash will travel.” Cameron stopped for a moment to laugh. “We’re almost done here.”

“You're not even bothered, are you?” Erin walked around to look at Dave.

“Nope.” He shook his head. “But I have been shot, stabbed, and beat up. I can handle it.”

“Are you going to let me see? Why is Cameron leaning over you like that? What are you doing?”

“It’s a surprise.” Dave grinned.

“If it’s my name, David Rossi, I'm breaking up with you.”

“Promises, promises.” He grinned.

Erin wanted to hit him but knew that would mess up the artwork. So she sat on the couch and tried to be patient. She had no idea what she was about to see. Erin didn’t like surprises. No, that wasn’t true; she could love them. She just preferred to know when they were coming, which ruined the whole surprise thing.

“I thought you liked the infinity symbol idea.” She said, crossing her leg.

“I did, baby, it looks amazing on you. It’s not really for me though. I have to have this for the rest of my life so I wanted to make sure I got something that was very Rossi.”

“There better not be the silhouette of a naked woman on your shoulder.”

“Damn, now why didn’t I think of that.”

“Don’t be cute, David.” Erin smiled.

“I'm always cute.”

“And I'm done.” Cameron wiped away the last of the ink and blood. She’d done a good job and she admired it for a moment before adding a little Vaseline and taking a photo. “Do you want to see, Erin.”

“Yes.” She jumped up from the couch and walked around to take a look. He had a piece of parchment paper tattooed on his shoulder blade and the words ‘ _Baby’s Got Blue Eyes_ ’. It was written in a script that was quite nice. “Oh my God; it’s fantastic.”

“You really like it?” Dave asked.

“I love it. Oh David, are you sure?”

“I better be…I can't change it now.”

“You wanna take a look?” Cameron held up the mirror and Dave looked at it.

“Oh, it is good. Damn kid, you’ve got some serious talent.”

“Thanks Dave.” She smiled. She put her mirror back in her bag. Then she pulled out a plastic bag and started cleaning up. Cameron had always been meticulous about the disposal of her materials, from the needles to the paper towel. She felt tattoo artists should be as clean and careful as a doctor. It was important to her.

“What do I owe you?” Dave asked, standing up as well.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, putting the plastic bag in a hard plastic container.

“What? I...”

“No, Dave. I wanted to do this for you and Erin so I did. Don’t worry about me starving…I have a bachelor party tomorrow night. Those are always moneymakers. Plus there will be strippers there. That’s what's known in my world as a bonus.”

“You're amazing.” He said.

“I try.”

They hugged and Dave kissed her cheek.

“Give your mom my love.”

“You know I will. And if anyone is looking for artwork, give them my card.”

“You got it.”

“Don’t forget, it’ll probably be bleeding again in about 10 minutes. Warm water, gently wipe, then add Vaseline before bedtime.”

“Thanks so much.” Erin said. “It was so nice to meet you.”

“You too, Erin.”

They shook hands and then Dave walked her out with his arm around her. When he came back he found Erin in the powder room. She was wiping the tattoo off again and looking at it in the mirror.

“So how do you feel?” Dave leaned on the door.

“Kinda like a reckless young girl.” She replied. “That’s a good feeling sometimes. I really like it; Cameron is a real talent.”

“She always has been. She’s been drawing as long as I can remember. I think she was eleven when I met her and she wanted to be a tattoo artist even then. Her mom always hoped she’d take the traditional art route but Cameron has always done her own thing.”

“You care about her?” Erin asked, turning from the mirror and looking at him.

“Yeah.” Dave nodded. “Her mom and I weren't together long, a little over a year, but the kid got me right in the heart.”

“You're a very special man, David Rossi.”

“I love you.”

Smiling, Erin walked into his open arms. She didn’t stand as close as she wanted to; knew the tattoo was still tender. But she sighed and just held on. It was done, she showed her commitment. It wasn’t just about Dave and letting him know how she felt.

Erin wanted to do something for herself as well. Marriage wasn’t another ride she wanted to take. That didn’t mean she didn’t love him. When you loved someone you showed the world. The world wasn’t going to see her hip but she knew it was there and she’d wear it proud.

“Elton John, huh?” she whispered, kissing his cheek.

“I was just sitting at my desk and it came to me. I’d just talked to Cameron and I thought the infinity symbol wasn’t for me. I didn’t know what I wanted but I figured it would come to me. And it did. My baby has the most beautiful blue eyes.”

“I love you, David.”

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Its still early.” Erin replied.

“I didn’t say lets go to sleep, Erin, I said lets go to bed.”

“I'm healing.” She said, laughing as they walked out of the bathroom with their arms around each other.

“There are a million and one ways for me to make love to you.” Dave said. “I'm not afraid to get creative. You did something so beautiful for me, let me return the favor.”

“You always do.”

***

  



End file.
